These people believe their deceased loved ones came back as animals

People have different ways of dealing with the loss of a loved one and comfort comes in different forms.

For some, it could be a special song, treasured photos or a peculiar scent.

However, there are many people who believe their deceased loved one's returned in the form of an animal.

While many are sceptic about this, there are a surprising number of people who believe it to be very real.

Here are three people who share their stories of visits from their loved ones, as reported by the Daily Mail.

* Grandmother came back as a heron

38-year-old Krissi Foskett was struggling to write her grandmother Barbara's eulogy. She was on holiday in Scotland while trying to find the right words, but it was a struggle. Then it happened. Foskett, owner of a cleaning company, was staring at the water when a beautiful heron appeared. It was at that moment when memories of her dear grandmother came rushing back and the words started to flow. Now she had so much to say she couldn't stop writing,

"The funny thing is, if Gran heard me saying this she'd say: 'Stop being silly, Krissi.' But while I'm not religious, I do believe the universe is too big for it all just to be about us," she told the Daily Mail.

Now, herons appear when she's feeling down or stressed out, which offers her great comfort.

* Husband returned in the form of a robin

Nursery owner Gill O'Neill, lost her first husband Phil to cancer in 2015. His death left a big whole in her life and it was not easy to handle.

She believes he found a way to offer her comfort from the beyond by coming back as a robin. "There is a saying: 'A robin appears when a loved one is near,' and I truly believe that has been the case with Phil," she told the Daily Mail.

Now when she needs advise or thinks about him a robin almost always appears. If he were alive she admits he would think it's silly, but for her it has happened way too many times for it to be a coincidence.

* Mother came back as a stag

Author Jenny Smedley from Norfolk (UK), was devastated when she found out two 100-acre electric substations were going to be built behind her home.

The 68-year-old absolutely loved her dream home and was upset about how this would impact her sanctuary. Smedley and her husband were contemplating selling the place, but were unsure what to do.

One day, she was walking around in her garden and spotted a huge stag.  When they looked straight at each other, she felt a feeling she couldn't describe. She believed it was her mother’s way of telling her not to sell her home. So they decided to stay put.

"She was giving us a vital message about the future — because to our huge relief and surprise, a few months later we learned that the substation was going to be built a few miles away instead of right next to us. Our home was safe," she told the Daily Mail.

For the sceptics, Smedley said: "I know sceptics will say I'm crazy to believe my mother returned to me after death, but I feel sorry for them. If you're not open to messages from people who have passed away, you're missing out on such magic."